1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for growing plants from cuttings. More specifically, the invention, by providing a physical barrier, resists root entanglement both during water sprouting and after the addition of soil, while using a minimum of space.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, various devices have been created to facilitate the growing of plants. U.S. Pat. No. 2,600,718 discloses a sprouting apparatus which can accommodate a number of plant stems whose leaves are supported by vertical transparent tubes disposed in a V-shaped channel. The device provides a means for maintaining a sufficient water level to keep the stems submerged, but the problem of root entanglement is not addressed. The only way to prevent root entanglement with this type of device is to provide large spaces between the tubes, which reduces the yield for a given area. Additionally, this device does not contemplate the later addition of soil.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,131,510 discloses a device for starting plants from leaves or slips which hold the leaf part of the slip above water while the stem portion is submerged. The essence of this invention is a horizontal disk removably mounted on a water-filled receptacle. The disk contains a number of triangular holes large enough to permit the stem, but not the leaf, to pass through, thereby suspending the stem in the water. The usefulness of this device ceases when the plant requires soil. Also, the problem of root entanglement is not addressed.
A solution to root entanglement between individual containers tightly packed in a cardboard box is suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,597. The use of cardboard dividers arranged in a grid pattern to isolate the individual containers is disclosed. This solution is limited, however, to its intented application and would not be effective when water sprouting is employed.
There remains, therefore, a need for a plant propagator which can effectively prevent root entanglement in water sprouting applications, and which does not require inefficient spacing between plants. There also remains a need for a plant growing method and apparatus which contemplate the later addition of soil to the container used for sprouting.